YSA Sacrament Meeting Talk: Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth

You can read President Uchtdorf’s full talk here:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/receiving-a-testimony-of-light-and-truth?lang=eng

Good Afternoon, Brothers and Sisters! My name is Amanda Eskelson, I am from Concord, California, I am a sophomore majoring in International Studies, and my favorite show is Star Trek!
I was asked to speak on a talk from the October 2014 General Conference given by President Uchtdorf entitled “Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth”

President Uchtdorf of course starts out with an aviation analogy in which he says, “As an airline pilot, I flew numerous hours across continents and oceans during the darkness of night. Watching the night sky out of my cockpit window, especially the Milky Way, often made me marvel at the vastness and depth of God’s creations—what the scriptures describe as “worlds without number.”
He relates this to the ancient astronomers that assumed our Milky Way galaxy was the only galaxy in the universe, and that through time as telescopes became more sophisticated they discovered that our universe is indeed filled with numberless galaxies, and that they have been there for a very long time.

He states, “Before mankind had instruments powerful enough to gather celestial light and bring these galaxies into visibility, we did not believe such a thing was possible. The immensity of the universe didn’t suddenly change, but our ability to see and understand truth changed dramatically.”

This actually reminded me of my own experience while flying back up here to school. I begrudgingly got up at 4 am to get ready to go to Oakland International Airport. I did not want to come back to school, especially knowing that I would be exchanging my slightly overcast California weather for the harsh, windy, snowy Rexburg cold.

As the plane took off in the early morning dark, I looked out my window to see the city beneath me. Oakland is a big city right next to San Francisco, so even at night many buildings and streets are lit up. It was really a sight to see. But the thing that I will remember most is when we flew over the Oakland Temple, with its 5 gold spires shining in the dark, it was truly the most beautiful, majestic, and radiant light shining amongst the glittering city. The Oakland Temple also stands as a beacon of direction for the ships coming into the bay. It was in that moment that I realized I had not been to the temple in the 5 months I had been home, and I began to cry as I received my own tiny bit of revelation that the temple is indeed a place for the ultimate source of truth and light. For so long I had been making work a priority in my life that I had forgotten that the temple was even there. Like President Uchtdorf taught, the temple didn’t suddenly appear amongst the lights out of my airplane window, but my perspective and ability to see what was important changed so much because I was literally flying over it!

President Uchtdorf goes on to say, “Suppose you were able to travel back in time and have a conversation with people who lived a thousand or even a hundred years ago. Imagine trying to describe to them some of the modern technologies that you and I take for granted today. For example, what might these people think of us if we told them stories of jumbo jets, microwave ovens, handheld devices that contain vast digital libraries, and videos of our grandchildren that we instantly share with millions of people around the world?”

I know that if I had the opportunity to meet Emma Smith, of whom I am a descendent, and show her the numerous pictures and videos of my cat on my phone, she would probably be shocked at this technology, whereas all of you would be shocked at the number of photo albums I have dedicated solely to my cat! 🙂

He continues, “Some might believe us. Most would ridicule, oppose, or perhaps even seek to silence or harm us. Some might attempt to apply logic, reason, and facts as they know them to show that we are misguided, foolish, or even dangerous. They might condemn us for attempting to mislead others.
But of course, these people would be completely mistaken. They might be well-meaning and sincere. They might feel absolutely positive of their opinion. But they simply would not be able to see clearly because they had not yet received the more complete light of truth.

It seems to be a trait of humanity to assume that we are right even when we are wrong. And if that is the case, what hope is there for any of us? Are we destined to drift aimlessly on an ocean of conflicting information, stranded on a raft we have poorly pieced together from our own biases? Is it possible to find truth?”

President Uchtdorf outlines 4 Steps we need to take in order to find truth for ourselves.
The first is searching the word of God, meaning reading the scriptures as well as the words of ancient and modern day prophets. This is one that Bishop Gardner has repeatedly counseled me to do, and I can testify that he knows what he’s talking about!

The second step is to consider, ponder, fearlessly strive to believe, and be grateful for how merciful the Lord has been to His children… for providing prophets, seers, and revelators to lead His Church and help us find the way back to Him.

Third is to ask your Heavenly Father to manifest the truth. Ask with a sincere heart and with real intent, having faith in Christ.

The fourth step is found in John 7:17, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself”. When you are trying to verify the truth of gospel principles, you must first live them.

President Uchtdorf counsels that “if you will do these things, you have a promise from God- who is bound by His word- that He will manifest the truth to you by the power of the Holy Ghost. He will grant you greater light that will allow you to look through the darkness and witness unimaginably glorious vistas incomprehensible to mortal sight. Some may say that the steps are too hard or that they are not worth the effort. But I suggest that this personal testimony of the gospel and the Church is the most important thing you can earn in this life. It will not only bless and guide you during this life, but it will also have a direct bearing on your life throughout eternity.”

This also reminds me of a quote from Professor Albus Dumbledore that, “Happiness can be found in even the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

I can relate this to an experience I had early this semester where I put these steps to the test. Over a year ago, I came across a poster on campus that detailed a semester abroad in the South of France. Many who know me know that I have been studying French since I was 13, and have been dreaming of going there for many years. It was too short of notice to be able to sign up for or fund this trip, but my parents said that I could go for the Fall Semester of 2015 instead.

I finished my first year of college and went home and worked in a dental office from 8-5 for 5 days a week every week to save up money for both my next year of school AND this semester in France. I prepared all my paperwork for my passport, paid for passport photos, and brought it up to school with me to send in. I emailed the program director to set up an interview and she told me to come visit her in 3 weeks.

The eve of my interview I thought about emailing her and confirming her office number and interview time, but I brushed it aside thinking of course she would have me on her schedule. The next day I made sure to dress in professional attire and got there 15 minutes early. When I knocked on her office door, she greeted me with a puzzled look as if not knowing why I was there. She then informed me that the semester abroad had been cancelled due to the violence and riots that had been going on in Paris and Brussels. I thanked her for meeting with me, walked out of her office and ran down the hall to cry in the bathroom. I was crushed, and kept asking why this was happening. I had worked and saved for a year, kept my grades up in school to ensure that I would still be eligible to go, and did I mention it was my birthday that day?

I spent the day in sadness, reading my scriptures, I went to the temple to do baptisms, and prayed and prayed, pleading with Heavenly Father to tell me why this thing that I wanted so much was no longer an option. It was one of the main reasons I even came back to school. I had no ideas, no options, and was stuck in this moment of sadness and could not see the way out.
It was only 2 days later that I was checking my email after class. Because you all know the Wifi here is NOT the best, I was waiting in the hall for my email to load when I happened to see a poster on the wall with a HUGE Eiffel Tower on it. THAT definitely caught my attention. I walked over and saw that there was an information meeting for this trip THAT SAME DAY only 2 hours later!

It was metaphorically and quite literally a sign.

I went to the meeting and found that this trip not only was going to France, but England, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy as well. I applied there and a week later got an interview with the program director. I told him about my experience with the other trip and how I prayed to find another program. I also found myself saying that I had always wanted to visit all these countries, but if I had been with the other program in the South of France, it probably would not have been feasible for me to travel to all of them. Toward the end of the interview, the program director said that they planned on notifying people within the next 2 weeks, but that he was telling me right then that I was in! It was in that moment I knew I had received an answer to prayer. Because my Heavenly Father loves me and knows me so well, He provided a way for me travel all of Europe and have an even greater experience than I could have ever anticipated. And because I had made the effort to pray, read my scriptures, and go to the temple, He granted me the insight and truth that He had a better plan for me.

President Uchtdorf closes with, “Your testimony of the living Son of God and His restored Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Letter-day Saints, may not come as quickly as you desire, but I promise you this: if you do your part, it will come. And it will be glorious.”

Brothers and sisters, I have a testimony of the power of prayer. I have a testimony of temple work and scripture study. I know that it is through these things and choosing the right that we are capable of receiving our own testimony of light and truth. I am grateful for our bishopric, for this ward, and for all your sweet spirits. I challenge you all to gain a testimony of the truth of this gospel, for this is the way to light, truth, and happiness.

I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.